Note for the reader: original material in German, translation by NSL with the help of crappy Google Translate

JOHN WINTER PORSCHE CUP WINNER 1988

"For me, winning the Porsche Cup is the highlight of my motor sport career. It means more to me personally than winning Le Mans in 1985 because: For the Porsche Cup, you have to be continuous throughout the year and perform well. " Bremen's John Winter (39) scored points for the Porsche Cup in the 1988 season in a targeted manner and full of tactics. He started in the sports car world championship, the Super Cup competition and the Interseries. For almost the entire season John Winter was in the lead in the cup standings, but with Bob Wollek and the Dane Kris Nissen he had tough opponents in the fight for the coveted cup. Because of his serious accident at Fuji Speedway, Nissen was unable to collect any more cup points from July, so the competition became a matter for the two Joest pilots John Winter and Bob Wollek.

The annual trophy for the best international private Porsche drivers is endowed with a total of 400,000 marks. The winner John Winter receives 85,000 marks and the last 1,500 marks.

The Bremen wood wholesaler is a nice proof of what a man can achieve in his hobby by deliberately accelerating. He started as a flawless amateur in 1976 in a frame race at the Diepholz airfield, improved steadily, switched to increasingly powerful Porsche sports cars, turned into a three-quarter professional and today asserts himself against the top stars of motorsport. In 1985 he won the Le Mans 24-hour race in a Joest-Porsche together with Klaus Ludwig and Paolo Barilla, in 1986 he won the Interseries, in 1987 he fought for second place in the Porsche Cup, in 1988 he won the highlight of his career: the trophy.

John Winter's career as a racing driver is also the story of a man who competed under a pseudonym. It is the story of the Bremen timber merchant Louis Krages, who wants to protect his sick mother and therefore does not tell her about his fast hobby. It all came out on the second Sunday of June 1985. Mother Krages saw the news. A television picture showed the Le Mans winners Klaus Ludwig, Paolo Barilla and John Winter at the award ceremony. Mother Krages recognized her son immediately and reacted like only a mother can: proud. Louis Krages aka John Winter: "Today she's my biggest fan."

By winning the Porsche Cup, John Winter decided to leave active motorsport. For him, racing was and is a part of his personal career that has given him additional self-confidence. "It was a very personal challenge for me. I was in one of the best teams with the Blaupunkt Joest team and I think I had the best time in Group C." December 1988

RESULTS OF THE PORSCHE CUP 1988

PORSCHE CUP WINNERS FROM 1970 TO 1988